Monday, December 20, 2010

Paradox of Strong Brands in China: Cause And Cure of Counterfeiting

If you have a strong brand, chances are that your trademark will be counterfeited in China. The counterfeiter can simply manufacture unauthorised copies of a popular brand: no developing costs, no marketing costs, and certainty about the demand. Then again chances are very slim that a company with a strong brand will counterfeit your trademark. As I have pointed out earlier in China this is not necessarily good news, since these non-infringing companies can be even more apprehensive competitors. In principle this would lead to fair competition, if only there was fair market access for non-Chinese companies. Nevertheless, IP Dragon was happy to read Laurie Burkitt's article 'State of Things: What are China's Top 50 Brands' in the Wall Street Journal (December 15, 2010). It includes a slideshow of China's Top 10 Brands by Value: 4 banks, 2 insurance companies, 2 internet companies, 1 oil company and 1 telecommunication company are most valuable, see here. Hat tip to China Hearsay.

No comments: